


Greek God

by shipsandglitter



Category: High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Bickering, F/F, Fluff, Getting Together, LGBTQ Themes, M/M, Mutual Pining, Realization of Feelings, Ricky Just Wants Nini to be happy, Rivals to Friends to Lovers, Romance, They're IN LOVE baybee!!!!, They're still at East High and there's still a musical but the character backstories are different
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-17
Updated: 2020-02-17
Packaged: 2021-02-27 23:26:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,991
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22763953
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shipsandglitter/pseuds/shipsandglitter
Summary: Gina Porter and Nini Salazar-Roberts are nothing more than ex-friends who bicker in the school corridors every other day. That is - until a few chance encounters lead Nini to believe that maybe, just maybe, they could be a little more than that.[Not a song-fic, but it's based on 'Greek God' by Conan Gray]
Relationships: (seblos redky and kourtlyn are background ships!), Ashlyn Caswell/Kourtney, Big Red/Ricky Bowen (HSM: The Series), Gina Porter/Nini Salazar-Roberts, Seb Matthew-Smith/Carlos Rodriguez
Comments: 4
Kudos: 64





	Greek God

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This was originally supposed to be about 4k words but it eventually turned into about 11k words and a month's worth of writing. I hope you like it!
> 
> [If you haven't heard 'Greek God' by Conan Gray I recommend listening to it beforehand, but its 100% optional]
> 
> No major TW's but there's talk of self-doubt and a little bit of talk about internalised homophobia.

“I’m so sorry! Coming through—“

Nini hurtled left around the next corner, a wince twisting across her face at the looks of disapproval she was garnering.

Junior year was already off to a great start. 

When she spotted Ricky’s face amongst the crowd by her locker, a relieved sigh escaped her. She slowed down to a walk, approaching with a flustered smile. 

“Nini Salazar Roberts, late as always. What’s the excuse this year?”

“Our car broke down.”

Ricky let out a short laugh at that, watching in amusement as she began to sort through her locker. “That’s nice. Now what’s the real reason?”

She threw him a sarcastic smile. “My sweater had a stain.” 

“Yikes. What kind?”

“The strawberry frosting kind. My moms bought doughnuts yesterday.”

“I should’ve known.”

By the time Nini had pulled her books out for first period, Big Red was rushing up to them, his helmet tucked beneath his arm and his face tinged red. Ricky pushed himself off the lockers, an almost instant smile lighting up his face. 

“Hey,” said Red, “Gina and co. are headed this way. Just thought you guys should know.”

Nini smiled bitterly, gaze immediately drawn to the corridor behind him that extended right towards the cafeteria. As if on cue, Gina and her group of friends rounded the corner, chatting amongst themselves. It was cold that day, freezing even, and everyone’s breath lingered in the air as mist. There were thick grey clouds blanketing the sky, and it always made the corridors appear somewhat dull. With the way Gina held herself, it was as though she believed she lit up every single place she walked by, making everything less grey for a brief moment.

“Don’t make eye contact,” Ricky warned, voice an urgent whisper, but it was far too late for that. Gina had her sights set on them, as she always did, and Nini almost wanted to laugh.

A part of her understood the fear that flashed across people’s faces as she pushed past, but it had been a long, _long_ time since Nini felt even the smallest amount of it when facing Gina. Gina had dirt on everyone, the things she had intel on surprised even Nini at times, but she rarely ever used it. Nini supposed that was one of the only up-sides to being former friends with a person everyone was terrified of. She didn’t exactly know who Gina Porter was; she just knew that how she acted at school couldn’t be further from it. 

“Well this is cute,” said Gina, as her crew easily parted the crowd in front of Nini’s locker, “the leads of this year’s musical and the newly appointed robotics team captain.” 

Big Red shot Ricky a bewildered glance. He’d only told their circle of friends about being team captain this year. Gina was standing with her head tilted to the side, her smile as calculating as it was uninviting. Nini couldn’t find any traces of warmth in her expression, but that wasn’t exactly unusual.

“Auditions for this year’s musical are about two weeks away, Gina, but I’m flattered that you think we’ll get the leads. That’s probably the most faith I’ve seen you have in anyone.” 

She gave a sarcastic smile, one that Nini immediately reciprocated.

“Suck up to Miss Jenn enough like you two have and it’s pretty much inevitable. A pair of try-hards like you two should have no problems, anyway.” 

Ricky scoffed. “If anyone’s sucking up to anyone it’s EJ. Have you seen how much that dude sucks at water polo?” 

“You’re talking like I’m not here, Bowen,” EJ piped up, and Gina threw him an amused side glance. 

Ricky raised his arms in mock surrender. “Sorry, sometimes my brains like to imagine that you’re _not_ there.” 

“Okay!” Nini clapped her hands together, not liking the direction this conversation was taking, “it’s been a pleasure Gina, but we have classes to get to and I’m sure you have people to intimidate.” 

Before Gina could retaliate, Nini was linking arms with Ricky and Big Red, pulling them down the corridor. Soon enough, they were being swallowed up by the crowds. 

“Ricky, that was mean,” said Nini once they’d reached a corridor that wasn’t totally filled to the brim with people. 

Ricky looked over at her, clearly ready to defend himself, but he must’ve seen the smile on Nini’s face because his expression relaxed. 

“He’s annoying, I can’t help it.” 

“Maybe we should stop going up to them this year,” Big Red piped up, “they’ll get bored eventually, right?” 

Nini shook her head. “I don’t think so, I think they’d keep coming up to us anyway.” She paused for a moment, unable to keep her smile from widening, “Gina likes picking fights with me too much.” 

Ricky and Red exchanged a look, but Nini couldn’t for the life of her figure out what code her friends seemed to speak in with each other. Instead of asking, she decided to drop it.

Kourtney was waiting for Nini in homeroom, shooting her a look of disapproval as she took her seat. 

“What kept you?” 

“Gina,” she whispered back, and that earned her an eye-roll. 

“Of course.” 

~

The following day brought snow with it. A thick fog had descended over Salt Lake City, blocking the sky out from view. Nini was in two minds about this; cloudy days always filled the school with full grey light, but she also loved the atmosphere that snowfall created; an underlying hum of excitement filled the corridors whenever it happened. 

Footsteps squeaked against the hardwood floor as Carlos and his team practised for their upcoming dance competition. The empty hall echoed with it, fully cleared out apart from Nini, who was sat in the front row of seats, Seb, who was sat beside her, and the dance team. 

The maths homework she’d fully intended on completing had long been abandoned, and she’d taken instead to helping Seb cheer the team on. Carlos worked relentlessly on their routines, and he was almost constantly fretting about practices. Nini figured it was the least she could do, although two people’s cheers bouncing off the walls of a large hall _did_ sound rather underwhelming compared to a crowd. 

They were almost an hour in when Nini got to her feet. “Water break! I’ll be right back.” 

Seb gave her a smile and a nod, taking his eyes away from Carlos only briefly. Nini couldn’t help but think it was unbearably cute that anyone could look at someone else with so much adoration. It almost made her sad to think about — she wasn’t sure if anyone would ever be able to feel that much love for her. 

Okay. Maybe she was getting a bit melodramatic now. 

The water fountain wasn’t far from the gym — Nini was getting a drink and returning in no time. It was only when she heard a voice calling out from behind her that she froze, slowly turning around. 

Gina was approaching, expression icy as ever. At times, Nini wished she was still someone who received any sort of warmth from Gina.

“What are you doing here?” 

Nini’s feet were rooted to the ground, held there by some sort of invisible force that only tightened its grip on her the closer Gina came. 

“You’re late,” said Nini, fully aware it wasn’t an answer to the question. “I didn’t think you’d come.” 

“I had stuff,” Gina explained, coming to a halt a few feet away. 

Nini nodded. There was always tension clouding their every interaction, like the fog outside was currently clouding the air. This time, something seemed particularly charged about the way Gina was looking at her, as though sizing her up somehow. She’d deny it if anyone asked, but Nini straightened ever so slightly, a wave of self-consciousness washing over her. 

“Okay. Well, there’s still time, Carlos won’t mind.” 

A smile was twitching on Gina’s face. “I wasn’t worried.” 

Nini watched as she passed, pushing through the double doors that led to the hall. She took a moment to take a few deep, centring breathes, before heading in after her. 

What was most frustrating about watching Gina dance, was that she was _good_ , and in part deserved to walk around with the confident air she did. She was nice to Carlos, out of what Nini could only assume was respect, as shocking as that idea was. Carlos would apologise to Nini from time to time, but he didn’t need to; being friendly to every team member made things easier for them. They had to appear at least somewhat cohesive on stage.

Nini continued to cheer, but her mind had wandered elsewhere. Gina was rarely, if ever late to their practices. Dancing was the one thing she seemed to have a wholehearted passion for, and even Nini could appreciate that in the way she moved; as though it was totally effortless. What _stuff_ could she have been referring to? 

Seb gave her a small nudge, smile kind as it always was. “Is everything okay?” 

Nini returned the smile. “Yeah.” 

She supposed Gina’s stuff wasn’t any of her business. Even if Gina seemed to make everyone else’s stuff _her_ business. 

~ 

“This is getting weird,” Ricky announced during lunch period the following week. 

Nini and Kourtney exchanged a confused glance. That was a rather sharp turn in the conversation they’d been having. 

“What is?” asked Nini. 

“Gina. The way she’s like...constantly staring at you. It’s like she’s trying to figure something out.”

Nini turned around in her chair with the least amount of subtlety imaginable and, sure enough, Gina was forced to quickly break eye contact and look elsewhere. 

“I don’t think so. I think she’s trying to size Nini up,” said Kourtney, “waiting for her to mess up or something. Maybe she’s feeling more pressed than usual.” 

“About what? Our dead friendship?” 

“Exactly.”

A smile was threatening to appear on Nini’s face, despite her best efforts. It was ridiculous when she thought about it, but a part of her liked the attention. She liked knowing that she was on Gina’s mind somehow, even if Gina was only scheming. 

“Do you think there’s something off about her?” Ricky asked, gaze still fixed on a spot over Nini’s shoulder. 

Kourtney shook her head. “I don’t think so. I know an insecure person when I see them. That’s probably all it is.” 

And somehow, that statement alone had Nini’s mind reeling for the remainder of their lunch period. She allowed herself a glance or two back at Gina after that, just to confirm. There had always been something more there; something that didn’t meet the eye. Nini just hadn’t thought much about pinpointing it; Gina clearly didn’t like her, and she was long beyond caring about that fact. 

Gina Porter’s confidence seemed fragile. 

It wasn’t one thing in particular that screamed it, but an array of smaller things. The way she was calculating about each word she spoke; as though scared of revealing too much. The way she had mastered using specific facial expressions to cover up how she was feeling. Of course, Nini couldn’t know that for sure. Maybe Gina just liked being guarded. But looking back one more time, seeing shock flicker over Gina’s face at the fact she’d been caught staring yet again, Nini couldn’t help but think it was true. 

Gina was playing pretend, and something about that gave Nini the slightest bit more nerve when their next petty exchange arose. 

~ 

That Friday was rather hectic for Nini. She’d spent the morning going over lines for her audition, then once she arrived at school she’d cheered on Carlos’ team during their early morning practice, then she’d gone on to complete two tests. 

When she left the school building, her bag slung loosely over her shoulder and her gaze fixed on her phone, Nini had every intention to go home and relax.

That, of course, was when she received the text from Seb. 

The fog had cleared up by now, and the blue sky that spanned above her was clear. Frost covered the grass and everyone that swept by her was rugged up in multiple layers. She wanted nothing more than to go home to warmth, but instead, she found herself having to reroute. 

The basketball courts were empty when she arrived. That is — empty apart from Seb, who was frantically waving her over. She let out a sigh, arms folded tightly over her chest as she advanced forward. 

“Did he really?” she asked.

Seb nodded, his smile taking an apologetic edge. “I tried to stop him.” 

“Why would he— I mean, we agreed...” she trailed off, letting her arms fall. 

Seb couldn’t meet her eye. “EJ said something.” 

That was all the explanation Nini received, and she didn’t press for more. When she arrived at the bench where Ricky was sat right on the outskirts of school grounds, a deep purple bruise swelling on his cheek, Nini dropped her bag to the ground and hurried over. 

“Idiot,” she chided, but her hands were gentle as they cradled Ricky’s face. 

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled, head still hung low, “he’s not gonna report it. If that helps.” 

“How do you know?” 

“Gina said.” 

“Gina says a lot of things.”

“I know.” 

Nini offered him a half-smile. She glanced down at his knuckles, which had gone white from what appeared to be a combination of the cold and the fact that Ricky was balling his hands up tightly into fists. His face was tinged red too, and Nini immediately felt bad. 

“We’ll talk later, okay? My moms won’t be home for a while so we’ll get some ice there.” 

“We could get some from the ground, too,” said Ricky, and Nini threw him an eye-roll.

“Nope. We’re not doing that. Let’s go.” 

Seb gave them both a smile as they got up, Nini wrapping an arm around Ricky’s waist. A tense silence fell over them as they walked, save for Seb’s cheery attempts to make conversation. Ricky’s smiles were pained. They were about half-way across the basketball courts when Nini heard a voice call out to her, one she could only recognise as Gina’s. 

Nini turned around, hand falling from Ricky’s waist. Ricky turned around too, throwing Nini a confused look. 

“What do you want?” Nini called.

Gina jogged up to them, face rosy from the cold. “Can I have a second?” 

Nini stood there for a moment, mind reeling with what Gina could possibly want from her at that moment. She looked to Ricky, then Seb, before giving the smallest of nods, arms folded defensively over her chest.

“You guys go on, I’ll catch up.” 

Gina waited until they were a few metres away before speaking. Her face was a mixture of concern and frustration, and she stumbled over her first few words as though not entirely certain of what she was trying to say. It had been a long time since Nini had seen Gina like this, especially on school grounds, and her confusion almost distracted her entirely from what Gina was saying. 

“I’m sorry. EJ shouldn’t have said what he said, trust me when I say I blew up at him just now.” 

Nini blinked. It took a moment or two to register that the words _‘I’m sorry’_ had actually been uttered. Gina was many things; someone who apologises wasn’t one of them. 

“I don’t know what he said, but nothing has gotten a reaction like that from Ricky before. So I guess...sorry on Ricky’s behalf for punching your friend. But whatever it was, I hope EJ’s sorry for it.” 

Gina waved a dismissive hand. “He’s fine. Ricky doesn’t exactly have good form...and I think EJ will come around. You don’t wanna know what it was he said?” 

“It’s not my business unless Ricky tells me himself. I know that’s probably a foreign concept for you.” 

“Some of us know how to survive High School,” Gina retaliated, “Eat or be eaten, Roberts. It’s simple, but you never seemed to get it for some reason.” 

Nini almost regretted saying anything. 

“Well, I’m still alive...and uneaten. The last time I checked, anyway. Be honest, Gina — is knowing all that information even worth it?“

Gina just stared after that, with the intensity of what had to be about a thousand suns. It didn’t seem to be all malice however, and Nini didn’t feel threatened. 

“Whatever. EJ’s not gonna report it, he got his punch in. Tell Ricky I’m sorry. And that I...” she hesitated for a moment before continuing, “I won’t tell anyone. And EJ won’t either, if I can keep his mouth shut.”

Nini gave a small nod. “I’ll do that.”

They both lingered there for a moment, silence stretching between them. Gina turned on her heel abruptly, walking in the opposite direction. Nini looked after her for a moment, before turning back around and jogging after Ricky and Seb, shrugging her bag over her shoulder.

The sky was a few shades darker when Ricky and Nini settled down later that afternoon, the sun setting along the horizon in a pool of reds and oranges. Ricky had a bag of frozen peas held up against his face, back leaned up against the headboard of Nini’s bed. Nini was sat opposite him, struggling to find the words she wanted to say. 

“Ricky, um...” she paused, being met with a questioning look, “about what EJ said at school...you don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to, but...I’m here if you do.” 

A few moments of silence followed. Then, Ricky was nodding, chewing at his bottom lip. “Thanks, Nini.” 

“No problem.” 

She went to reach for her laptop, on the verge of asking whether he wanted to watch a movie when Ricky was speaking again, the words coming out in somewhat of a blur.

“I like Big Red. That’s what EJ made a comment about. And instead of denying it I just...lost my shit I guess. Nini, there were _so_ many people around and they could’ve heard and I was just mad because he was laughing about it and—and it just got to me. That’s why I punched him. I didn’t mean to, I just panicked.”

“Ricky,” Nini said gently, putting her laptop back down. “It’s okay, I promise. I get it.”

She opened her arms, offering him the softest of smiles. “Hug?” 

Ricky let out a small sigh, moving forward and practically falling into the hug, the bag of frozen peas discarded behind him. She pressed a light kiss to his head, grip tight against the fabric of his hoodie. When they pulled away, Nini smiled again. Ricky did too, albeit half-heartedly.

“How long?”

“A few months...I think.” 

“Okay. Well...I talked to Gina and I promise you that she’s not gonna tell anyone. Neither will EJ. You’re safe.” 

“Okay,” said Ricky, nodding. 

They lingered there for a moment, then Nini was grabbing her laptop again. 

“I think it’s your turn to choose the movie.”

“I thought it was yours?”

Nini smiled. “No, it’s definitely yours.”

They both knew it was a lie, but Ricky took the laptop regardless. 

“Well. I guess I can’t argue with that.”

~

It was an honest mistake. Nini had taken to the library during her free period, as she normally did. Between reading over her lines for the audition and doing homework, she killed some time browsing the aisles, running her fingers absent-mindedly over the book spines. 

Gina ended up being in one of the aisles.

Usually, she held herself as someone who owned the corridors she walked down, someone who was assured, someone who knew what they were doing. Now, Gina’s shoulders were hunched slightly, facing the beige wall in front of her. Nini wasn’t entirely sure what possessed her to move forward, but she did, coming to a stop when Gina whirled around. 

She instantly tried to hide the paper she was holding, expression smoothed out into one of uncharacteristic shock. Nini saw it regardless — it was hard to miss with its bold penmanship and it’s bright red, contrasting hugely against white. 

“A B isn’t bad,” Nini said after a moment, but an immediate pang of regret filled her. Maybe she should’ve left it alone. 

Gina’s grip on the paper tightened, knuckles starting to turn white from the pressure of it. Her face had taken a red tinge, and Nini was almost tempted to apologise and make her exit, but Gina spoke up.

“I guess you have dirt on me now.” 

Her voice was nowhere what it usually was; thin and wavering. Nini cracked a smile, shifting from one foot to the other.

“Not everyone is out to get dirt on other people, you know?” 

Gina scoffed at that, turning away again. “This is weird.” 

“What is?” 

“The fact that we aren’t at each other’s throats right now.”

“We aren’t?” 

Gina gave a short laugh. For a split second, Nini wanted to hear more of it. 

“Call me fake, then we’ll get there.” 

“Only if you call me a princess first.” 

“You _are_ a princess though. Walking around, smiling, being all nice to everyone. It’s like you’re compensating for something.” 

“Sometimes people just like being kind.” 

Gina turned back around, and Nini felt some of the tension in her relax at the smile that had settled on her lips. 

“I like being kind...when it’s necessary.” 

“I’d say you’re being pretty kind right now.”

“I just called you a princess.”

“There are worse things to be called.” 

“Like theatre kid?” 

Nini couldn’t help but laugh at that, hugging the book she’d collected at some point to her chest. “There’s no shame in being a theatre kid.”

Gina squinted at that, bringing her thumb and her index together so that they were almost touching. “I mean...there’s a little bit of shame...just a little.”

“Being on the dance team does sound cooler, I’ll give you that,” Nini relented. 

“Thank you — I know it does.” 

The conversation lulled after that, but Nini lingered there regardless, trying hard to decipher the unspoken words that seemed to fill the air between them. Gina was the one to speak again, offering Nini a tight-lipped smile as though getting back into her usual character.

“Nice chat, Roberts. Don’t tell anyone about it or I’ll break your gel pens.”

“Even the pink one?” Nini asked with a gasp, and Gina nodded.

“Even the pink one.” 

That was the last thing that was said between them before Gina strode past her and into the main section of the library, her test hidden under her jacket. Nini was left standing there, murmured chatter and pattering rain filling the silence around her. She smiled ever so slightly, before turning around and heading back to her homework. 

She still did _not_ care about what Gina Porter thought of her. Not one bit. 

~ 

Auditions took place the following Tuesday. The concrete was still soaked from all the rain that had fallen overnight, coloured a deep grey. White clouds drifted peacefully across the sky, carried by the wind, blocking out the blue. Nini tugged at the sleeves of her jacket, face already frozen when she entered the corridors — which weren’t much warmer. She headed over to Kourtney’s locker when she’d finished organising her things for the day, jittery from a mixture of iced coffee and adrenaline. 

“Maybe I can’t do this, Kourt,” she fretted, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

“Nope. Nuh-uh, that talk isn’t allowed. You can do this, Nini! You have a great voice and you’ve been practising for like two weeks now.”

She chewed at her bottom lip, trying hard to focus on those words rather than the whirlwind of worries in her mind. 

“You know what? You’re right. I can _so_ do this. I’ll be fine. Right?”

“Right!” 

Nini gently took Kourtney’s hands in her own, smiling now. “And you’re still gonna sign up for makeup and costume?” 

“Of course I am,” said Kourtney, “we’re in this together.” 

“Cool. Cool. You know, I heard Ashlyn’s auditioning for the musical too.”

“And why would you be telling me that?” 

Nini lifted a playful eyebrow. “No reason.”

“Nini, I swear—“

“Oh come _on_ , junior year is the _perfect_ year to start acting on crushes—“

“What’s this about crushes?”

Nini dropped Kourtney’s hands, whirling around to face Ricky. “Nothing!” 

Ricky looked to Nini, then to Kourtney, eyes narrowed sceptically. “I see how it is.” 

“Good! Are you ready for auditions?” 

Ricky leaned back against the locker beside Kourtney’s, shoving his hands in his pockets. “As ready as I’ll ever be. I swear I could recite every single one of Troy Bolton’s lines on command, right now” he said, before noticing the disbelief on Nini’s face, “okay, not really, don’t ask me to actually do that.” 

It was nothing but an off-handed attempt at a joke. Nini was stood opposite Ricky and Kourtney, ranting to them about Mr Mazzara’s grudge towards the theatre department. 

“I think in his dreams there are robots instead of people. Wait — do you think he _is_ a robot? Is that why he loves robotics so much? Because he’s like...making miniature versions of himself?”

Across the corridor came a small laugh, and Nini practically froze when she realised whose laugh it had been. 

Ricky’s eyes were wide, staring at Gina over Nini’s shoulder. “I think Gina just laughed at what you said. No, actually — she _definitely_ did. And now she looks embarrassed...and now she’s walking away.” 

Nini couldn’t keep from smiling. She honestly didn’t know what to make of how Gina had been acting lately — her attempts at antagonising had been starting to lack a certain fire, and now she was laughing at Nini’s jokes. Nini finally turned around, catching a glimpse of Gina’s purple shirt before she was swallowed up by the crowds that had started to accumulate. 

She let out a huff of disbelief, turning back to Ricky and Kourtney. 

“You know, deep down I think she wants you to like her,” Kourtney said. 

Nini’s heart skipped a beat at those words. She hesitated for a moment, before shaking her head.

“No way. I’m not important enough for her to want me to like her.” 

Nini’s mind began to race. 

Gina was an entirely different person when she was on her own. Still concerned about her reputation sure, but it was almost as though her icy exterior would melt, and she would smile more. Nini couldn’t help but feel that Gina _liked_ being friendly, on a subconscious level at the very least. 

And so, Nini put it to the test. It wasn’t that she cared about whether or not Gina actually liked her, she was simply curious. 

It started out with a fleeting smile across the corridor. Gina eyebrows furrowed, and a flicker of confusion crossed her face. Her face was tinged red from the cold, and she was hugging her books to her chest, looking back at Nini like she’d hurt her somehow. 

Nini’s auditions were at lunchtime, so she didn’t have much of a chance to test anything chance then. The theatre was filled with warm light, and outside, the rain had started up once more. Once Miss Jenn had determined who was auditioning for what role, the process began.

Her eyes locked with Carlos’ once she’d stepped out onto the stage. He gave her a small thumbs-up, and somehow, that gave her the confidence she needed to take a deep breath and begin. 

Ricky and Kourtney insisted to her afterwards that it was amazing, and Nini could only hope that Miss Jenn would share their same excitement. 

It was when the next audition began that Nini noticed. The area towards the back of the theatre was darkened, and the person standing there was almost obscured from view, but not entirely.

Nini was up from her seat in an instant, telling Ricky and Kourtney that she’d be right back. An odd sense of nervousness came bubbling up the surface as she rushed up the stairs, Gina coming more clearly into view the closer Nini advanced. 

Shock filled Gina’s expression, but only for a moment before it was being replaced by her usual smugness.

“Not bad, Roberts.” 

“That’s practically a glowing compliment coming from you so I’ll take it,” said Nini, voice hushed. 

They both headed towards the exit, muffled sounds of chatter from the cafeteria reaching them where they stood. Gina’s eyes were sweeping over Nini’s face in the same calculating manner they always did. A buzzing sense of pride was beginning to swell in Nini’s chest, and it was almost addictive. It was rare she felt pride in the things she did; it had taken a long while to convince herself she even _deserved_ a shot at the leading role, and here Gina was, telling her she was okay, or at least not terrible.

Of course, Nini couldn’t let that show. 

“What are you doing here? Surely you wouldn’t want someone seeing you in the vicinity of the theatre and getting the wrong idea.” 

“Well, I wanted to see if I was right about you getting the lead.” 

“So...do you think you were?” 

“Yeah. I think I was.” 

Nini could barely contain her smile at that. Of course, she didn’t need validation from _Gina_ of all people, but it was still nice.

“Well that’s nice of you.” 

“It was my objective judgment, I wouldn’t call that nice,” said Gina, “those other girls were good but you have this kind of...down to earth vibe that fits Gabriella. Better vocal range for Gabriella too.”

Nini finally allowed a smile to spread across her face. Gina’s lips curved up into a momentary smile too, but she quickly tried to conceal it. 

They both knew Gina hadn’t come to see the auditions just to prove her own theory right. And for some reason, the thought of that was accompanied by a buzzing sense of warmth, one that left a lightness in Nini’s step even after Gina had walked away.

~ 

There was a commotion in the corridor. People crowded around a single sheet of paper, taped up onto the wall. Carlos had attacked Seb with a hug, and Seb was currently spinning him around, both lost in a whirl of excited laughter. Some people walked away with their shoulders slumped and their expressions glum. Most however, had their gazes fixed firmly on Nini and Ricky, who had yet to approach the cast list. 

“I screwed up,” said Ricky, hand tightening slightly on Nini’s shoulder, “I _so_ screwed up. I bet they could hear that one string on my guitar that was slightly out of tune—“

“Ricky,” Nini interrupted with a slight laugh, “I promise you I didn’t hear that slightly out of tune string. Let’s go, we’re both gonna lose our minds over here.” 

And so, they set off, the crowds parting unusually as they approached. Nini glanced towards the left, where Gina was stood with her group of friends, arms folded over her chest and lips pressed together. She raised her eyebrows. Nini smiled ever so slightly.

“Nini,” said Ricky, in what was a breathless gasp more than anything, “we got the leads.”

Nini turned around at that, quickly in case what was on the paper would magically change. A grin spread across her face, one that was immediately matched by Ricky. Nini jumped up, and Ricky caught her, spinning her around for a few moments before gently setting her down on the ground again. Nini spared another glance towards Gina ( _since when had she felt so compelled to see what she was doing?_ ), who had clearly witnessed the exchange and come to her own conclusion. She was smiling at her friends, but Nini could tell it wasn’t for them. 

A part of her almost felt confused at what seemed to be a sudden understanding between them, something far deeper than petty remarks in the corridor. The larger, more vocal part of her, just wanted to bask in the excitement of getting the lead for a few more minutes. 

“What did I say?” Gina called across the hall, and Ricky instantly seemed to tense.

“That we’re suck-ups and try hards and that you knew we were gonna get the leads?” he asked, voice taking on an annoyed tone.

All of Gina’s friends (except EJ, for a reason Nini couldn’t pinpoint) burst into sniggers. 

Gina’s gaze locked with Nini’s. “Yeah,” she said, “that.”

It wasn’t what Gina had been referring to, and no one else in the world knew that but them.

~

Nini’s last period that Friday was P.E. She usually tried her hardest to participate in her classes, but everyone had an exception — hers happened to be P.E. 

The weather was growing colder as they neared winter, and another thick fog had descended over Salt Lake City. She was sat on a metal bench, one so freezing that even her thick sweatpants couldn’t protect her from it. Her hands were shoved in her pockets, one of which happened to contain her phone. Periodically, she would glance down for a few moments to read the texts her moms had sent in their group chat. Meanwhile, her legs were bouncing away, feet tapping rapidly against the grass beneath her.

“Physical activity helps keep you warm, you know?” 

Nini jolted, hands flying out of her pockets and landing on the cold metal as she maneuvered herself to face Gina. 

“What are you doing here?” 

Gina shrugged. “Our P.E. teacher sent me over to the storage shed to get some basketballs. Then I saw you freezing to death over here.”

“I’m not even cold,” scoffed Nini, just as a gusting breeze of icy wind washed over them. Shivers went wracking through her body, and Gina raised an amused eyebrow.

“Totally.” 

“I have rehearsals after school,” Nini defended, “I can’t afford to get hit in the face by a football and get sent to hospital. So I’m braving the cold.” 

“Then don’t get hit in the face by a football.” 

“You know who you’re talking to, right?” 

“Well...I _do_ have a vague memory of making fun of you for getting hit on the head by a tennis ball.”

“ _Vague?_ That was this year!” 

“Was it? Wow.” 

Gina had a faint smile on her face now, and Nini couldn’t help a smile of her own, despite her best efforts.

“You should go get your basketballs.” 

“You’re probably right. I’ll see you around.” 

Once Gina had reached the basketball courts she turned around, smile still bright on her face. “Phones aren’t allowed during class!” 

Nini let out an amused huff, shoving her phone fully into her pocket and focusing her attention to the game of football that was taking place. Her eyes widened slightly when she realised that a rather red-faced Ricky was jogging up to her, followed closely by Big Red. 

“What’s up with the limp?” she asked, as Ricky took a seat beside her.

“I pretended to hurt my foot. Didn’t you see?”

“I, um—“ 

“Of course you didn’t. Because you were talking to your new best friend.” 

Nini’s eyebrows furrowed slightly as she examined her friend, looking for any traces of actual anger. There were none — just a whole bunch of exasperated amusement. 

“Okay, ‘best friend’ is an exaggeration and you know it.”

“Then what is it? Because for the past few days you two have been acting weird. Like _really_ weird.” 

“Smiling-at-each-other-across-the-hall-and not-picking-any-fights-weird,” Red chipped in, and Nini let out a small, disbelieving laugh. 

She pushed the hair away from her face and pretended to have at least some interest in the football game, gaze directed purposefully away from her friends.

“We aren’t friends just because we’re not fighting. That’s like, the lowest threshold for friendship ever.” 

“Okay, fine. Maybe you two aren’t friends. But whatever this... _truce_...thing is, it’s rubbing off on EJ too and it’s way too weird for me to handle.” 

That piqued Nini’s interest. 

She turned back to Ricky. “What do you mean?” 

“He’s being nice to me. Way, _way_ too nice to me. Yesterday he smiled at me and today he held the door open for me instead of slamming it in my face.”

“‘Maybe he feels bad?” 

From the look on Ricky’s face, you’d almost think Nini had hurt him somehow. “EJ Caswell? Feeling bad?” 

“Well he’s not a robot.” 

“Okay, that’s debatable. If he feels bad wouldn’t he just tell me?” 

“Yeah, but maybe he’s working up to it. Trying not to go in all at once? It’s not like you’re the king of expressing your feelings either.” 

Ricky huffed. “I guess you’re right.” 

Big Red had stayed oddly silent throughout the exchange thus far, fingers drumming away against his leg, gaze fixed firmly on the football game. Nini leaned over, trying hard to keep the concern out of her voice.

“Hey, are you okay Red?” 

“...Maybe EJ likes Ricky.” 

Nini blinked. She slowly drew away, back to her seat, meeting Ricky’s equally confused gaze. Silence lingered in the air for a moment, heavy like the fog that was currently clouding the field in front of them. 

It wasn’t necessarily what Big Red had _said_ , it was more so his tone, and how unlike him it had seemed; soft, wavering. _Hurt_ , even. 

Ricky cleared his throat. “I don’t think so. That seems too...out of nowhere.” 

It was surprisingly easy for them to fall back into conversation following that. Nini looked between Ricky and Big Red as they spoke, pressed together on the bench, Ricky with a casual arm resting on the bench behind Big Red.

Feeling almost as though she was intruding on some kind of moment, Nini pulled her phone from her pocket and reverted to scrolling. 

~

Frost covered the grass on Monday morning. The sky was streaked with orange, and Nini was up at an ungodly hour, sat with Kourtney on a bench by the football field. 

“Can I take a nap?” she asked, and Kourtney gave her a playful shove. 

“You’re seriously not used to being up at 6:30?” 

“I roll out of bed at 8:15, Kourt. Besides, aren’t teenagers meant to wake up at like 10 or something, because of our sleep-wake cycle shifts? I swear my mom mentioned something like that once.”

Kourtney just threw her a look. “It’s not my fault EJ’s practise is so early.” 

“But it _is_ your fault that you didn’t just text Ashlyn like ‘hey, can we hang out?’ instead of waiting around so you could _‘_ conveniently’ bump into her during her cousin’s practise. _‘Oh my god Ashlyn! You’re here at 6:30? That is such a coincidence. Will you marry me?’_ ”

“Shut up!” Kourtney spluttered with a laugh, giving her friend another shove, “we’re not at the stage of casual texting yet.” 

“I’ve never seen you be so... _indirect_ about something. Usually you’re like, this glowing beam of confidence.” 

“Okay, well even glowing beams of confidence get...nervous...sometimes.”

“Aw, you’re nervous?” 

“So what if I am?”

Nini raised her arms in surrender. “Everyone gets nervous, Kourt. It’s okay.” 

“I don’t like it,” she declared, and Nini just smiled. 

“No one does. But it can be a good thing sometimes. Maybe it’ll you make you smoother.” 

“...Or it could make me mess everything up.” 

“No negative thoughts allowed! You can’t see into the future.” 

“You’re right, you’re right.” 

Kourtney took a deep breath in, gaze settling on the opposite side of the field, where EJ was currently talking with Ashlyn. She watched as Kourtney stood up, with one last uncertain glance towards her.

“Okay. I’ll be right back.” 

“Good luck!” Nini called, a smile still at the corner of her lips. 

Seconds turned to minutes. Nini took to her phone, kicking absent-mindedly at some of the frost that had settled in front of her. Occasionally she would glance up to see how Kourtney was doing, and something foreign swelled up inside of her each time she did. Nini was used to the feeling; it underlied everything she did, like a buzzing hum of electricity. She just wasn’t used to feeling it so _intensely_ , like it was consuming her somehow. 

Ashlyn laughed at something Kourtney said, and she looked back down at her lap, hands unknowingly tightening their grip on her phone. She let out a small sigh, hastily shoving her phone into her pocket. 

When Kourtney had come out to her at the start of the year, in a mere whisper with the darkness of her room surrounding them — that’s when the feeling had appeared. Nini had been as supportive as she could, pushing it down, bottling it up. But ever since then, it had reappeared at random points. 

Kourtney would make jokes about Nini being the only straight person she could trust, and it would appear, like a small spark that been stoked by something. She would stare at a girl for a few moments too long, and suddenly it would be there, accompanied by an ice bucket full of guilt. Soon enough, the feeling had manifested itself in the back of her mind as a voice, a small one, that would always wonder whether or not she liked girls. 

She knew she liked boys. She’d even liked Ricky at one point, albeit only for a few months. She could handle boys. But _this?_ She wasn’t so sure. 

Nini could accept her friends in a heartbeat. She could accept every single person that came out at their school in a heartbeat. She’d accepted her moms, and the fact that their family would always be slightly different to the families she sees regularly.

_So why was it so hard to accept herself?_

“We meet again!” 

Nini lifted her gaze from the grass, heart leaping as she whirled around in her seat. 

“Why do you always come up from behind me?” she asked with a huff, and Gina sat down beside her with a short laugh. 

“Because I can! Obviously. What brings you to the football field at this hour?” 

“Kourt wanted to talk to Ashlyn,” she said, “so now I’m here. Feeling like my hands might fall off.” 

Gina nodded, glancing briefly over at where Kourtney and Ashlyn were stood. “Maybe you should invest in hand warmers.” 

“You might be right. Hand warmers sound amazing right about now.” 

Silence fell for a moment. Then, Gina was pulling two hand warmers out of her pockets and handing them over to Nini.

“But they’re yours—“ Nini protested, rather unconvincingly. 

Gina just raised an eyebrow. “Take them. I run hot, anyway.” 

Nini bit gently at her lip, before giving a nod and accepting the hand warmers. She put them in her pockets, and Gina stood up again.

“What were you contemplating?” 

She could feel a nervous flush beginning to warm her face. “Oh you know, what they’re gonna have on the lunch menu. The meaning of life. Other unimportant things.”

The smile tugging at Gina’s lips seemed to suggest she didn’t quite believe that. Nini quickly averted her gaze, feeling that weird sense of guilt beginning to gnaw away at her.

“Okay. Well, do you think you can contemplate my dance routine? I came here to practise, so...it might be good to get feedback.” 

Nini’s eyes practically snapped back towards Gina. “Oh! Well I mean, I’m not like...a pro dancer or anything. Or just...a dancer in general. I don’t dance. I’m more of a singing person.” 

Gina waved a dismissive hand. “I already knew that. But you can still tell if a dance is good or not.” 

“If it’s you I can guarantee that it’s gonna be good.”

“Save the feedback until after you’ve seen it,” said Gina, smiling widening slightly.

Nini nodded, settling back against the bench. “Okay. Hit me.” 

The routine was _more_ than good. Anything choreographed by both Carlos and Gina was bound to be, everyone knew that. But the expression painted across Nini’s face still must’ve been one of shock, because when Gina saw it she laughed, breaking her final pose. 

“Did you like it?” 

Gina was slightly out of breath, chest rising and falling with each sharp inhale. Her hair looked a bit more unruly, from a combination of the gusting wind and the routine, some of it caught in her lipgloss. She brushed the strands away, and Nini’s eyes followed the movement. 

“It was great, Gina,” she said, voice soft, “I’m sure Carlos will be proud.” 

Gina’s smile brightened all of a sudden, now more of a beam than anything. 

“Thanks, Nini.” 

~ 

It was all because of a stupid note. 

The day had started out great with rehearsals, and Nini had a spring in her step as she waltzed into English class, her books hugged to her chest. Gina’s class had been combined with her own so they could all watch the movie they’d be analysing. Gina had passed her a note, and the teacher must’ve somehow caught the movement amongst the darkness, because both of them left with an after school detention on their hands. 

Nini let out a frustrated huff as she walked the corridor, gaze trained straight ahead despite the fact that Gina was trying to talk to her.

“So you _are_ annoyed.” 

Nini didn’t say anything.

“I’m sorry, okay? I’ve passed notes before, your teacher is just a hawk apparently.” 

Nini still didn’t say anything. 

“Whatever. Look at the note when you can, okay?” 

Gina left in the opposite direction, and Nini immediately opened the carefully folded note despite herself. It was a drawing — a _good_ drawing at that, of Nini sitting on that bench from their last two meetings, her hands shoved in her pockets and a reluctant looking smile on her lips.

She stopped walking, apologising profusely to the people behind her and drifting to the side of the corridor, standing up on her tip-toes to try and spot Gina amongst the crowd. It was no use. She looked one last time before going on her way again, pocketing the note with a small smile. 

A dull grey had taken over the sky by the time 3 pm rolled around. The last rays of sunlight had been blocked out, no longer able to stream through the parted clouds. They’d taken on a silvery hue, with the promise of heavy rainfall later. 

Nini was parked by the window, pouring over some English homework. Gina was in the opposite corner, remaining oddly silent even once the teacher had left them alone. 

Forty-five minutes ticked by. Nini was beginning to growing restless, leg bouncing away under the table as she tried to concentrate on reading a particular sentence. After reading it a few times and still not processing it, she let out a heavy sigh and stood from her chair, stretching her arms. 

“Struggling?” 

“Kind of. I can’t stop thinking about the musical.” 

“Ah. Sometimes I forget you’re a theatre nerd.”

“Very mature,” Nini nodded, throwing an amused glance over her shoulder. 

She sat back down and swivelled her chair to face Gina, all hope of answering her English questions lost. 

“I didn’t realise you could draw.” 

Gina seemed bashful of a sudden, averting her gaze towards her book. “I dabble.” 

“Dabble? _That’s_ dabbling to you? I can barely draw a stick figure.” 

“Well, when you’re home alone lot, you get bored,” Gina said with a shrug, “I watched a lot of YouTube videos about drawing and it stuck.” 

“You’re really good at it. I’m not sure if I’ve said it yet but...thanks. The note was nice of you, even if it landed us here.” 

“No problem,” said Gina, smiling now. 

Silence stretched between them. Nini glanced up at the clock, only to let out a gasp. 

“It’s a minute past our detention time! I can’t believe she’s not back for us.”

“A crime, truly,” agreed Gina, an amused expression on her face as she stood up. “We should go somewhere.”

Nini froze in her tracks, hand halfway down to her books. “...Go somewhere?” 

“Yeah! You know, like...that thing people do sometimes.” 

“You want us to go somewhere?” 

The slightest trace of uncertainty flickered over Gina’s face, but she didn’t back down from the offer. 

“Yeah. If you want.” 

Nini thought for a moment. Then another moment. Then, she was resuming her packing up with a nod. She _did_ want that, miraculously enough. 

“Sure.” 

Gina lingered by the door, watching as Nini approached. Her mouth was twitching as though she was fighting back a smile, and Nini felt an expected warmth rush through her as she walked out, glancing back briefly. 

“So where to?” 

The smile won, spreading across Gina’s face as she closed the door. “You’ll see.” 

~ 

It was about 6 pm when the sun began to set. Hues of red blended with oranges and purples, creating a gradient that stretched across the horizon. They were sat in the empty parking lot outside Gina’s dance studio, beside the slushie cups they’d regretted purchasing as soon as they’d walked out the door. Nini still wasn’t sure what either of them had been thinking. Their faces were rosy from the biting cold, jackets zipped up as far as they could go. 

A silence had settled over them, save for the rustling of leaves and the distant sounds of cars rushing by. Nini was the first to break it.

“Thanks for showing me those dance moves,” she said, “maybe I can join the team now.”

“Maybe you could. But I think singing is your forte.” 

“You really think so?” 

Gina looked over at that, seeming puzzled. “I thought we’d established that I think you have a good singing voice.” 

“Yeah, but...” Nini trailed off a moment, letting out a sigh, “I don’t know. I just feel like sometimes people only tell me what I want to hear. Like — do I really deserve the lead or is that just an idea I’ve internalised from my friends.” 

“I wouldn’t tell you your singing was good if it wasn’t, trust me. I know I bag musicals a lot but...if this is what gives you a voice then so be it. I think you deserve one.”

A genuine smile began to tug at Nini’s lips. “Thanks. You know...I used to be kind of jealous of you. You seemed so...” she gestured about with her hands, as though that would somehow relay the message, “self-assured? I don’t know. I just wanted that. I can’t remember the last time I’ve felt like that.” 

Gina hesitated for a moment, looking out at the sky. The sun was hidden behind the dance studio, which resembled a dark silhouette now that the last remnants of light had faded. 

“You know that day we had dance practise? You caught me on my way in and I said I had ‘stuff’ that kept me?”

Nini nodded. Gina couldn’t seem to meet her eye. 

“Well. I was actually begging my Math teacher to give me bonus work so I could up my grade by a few points. I thought a B+ might look better than a B. It’s kind of all I’ve been getting lately and my mom, uh...isn’t happy. Going home on test days is the worst now.” 

Nini had always thought she was okay at finding the right words to say. At that moment however, she couldn’t seem to find anything, sitting in the midst of tense silence until eventually just choosing to shuffle across the curb, closer to Gina. 

“Do you know why?” 

Another pause. 

“I don’t know. I was doing fine last year, I feel like something inside me this year just...broke.”

“The work is harder?” Nini offered.

“It’s not that. I just can’t concentrate.” 

“...Is there something else you’re thinking about?” 

Gina visibly tensed. She looked back out at the sky, which now resembled a deep blue, dotted by various stars. 

“Yeah. But I’m not sure how to fix it.” 

She finally looked away, back at Nini. Nini was looking back, a sudden rush of nervousness filling her. 

“Okay. Well, whatever it is, I’m here if you ever need help...wow, I did _not_ think I’d be saying that to you today.” 

The words felt natural, as though she’d always been saying them to Gina. As though they hadn’t been bickering constantly just weeks ago. 

“Thanks,” said Gina, voice soft in a way that was almost uncharacteristic. 

Nini was still looking at her, and she was still looking back. Her stomach was in knots, and her gaze was sweeping over Gina’s face without her permission, taking in every detail possible given their darkened surroundings. The strand of hair that had fallen in front of her face. The brown of her eyes, the way they were reflecting the warm light of a nearby streetlamp. A part of her had always known Gina was beautiful; she just hadn’t fully registered it until now.

She was used to Gina studying her, like she was calculating something in her head, analysing any signs of weakness. At that moment however, there was a soft quality to her gaze, one that had Nini leaning in without thinking when Gina did. 

Shock flooded her system at the last moment, reminding Nini of what exactly they were doing. Gina seemed to have a similar realisation because she pulled back at the same time, shuffling away to put some distance between them. Nini pretended that didn’t hurt. 

She cleared her throat. “I should probably, um, call my moms. It’s been a few hours since the last text...they’re probably worried.”

“Same here.”

Nini didn’t the break the silence that stretched between them after that. 

~ 

“So EJ, he like...came up to me, saying he wanted to apologise. He was like ‘it was bad of me to mention anything like that with all those people around. It went too far and I’m sorry,’ which like, already blew my mind, then he—wait, are you even listening?” 

A few beats passed. Ricky waved a hand in front of Nini’s face, expression a mixture of fondness and exasperation. 

“Earth to Nini? We kinda need her down here.” 

A jolt ran through her at that, forcibly pulling her away from her thoughts. 

“I’m sorry,” she said, scrambling to sit upright. “I’m listening now, I swear.” 

Ricky studied her for a moment, eyes narrowed slightly. “Are you sure you’re okay?” 

“Yeah! I’m fine. Tell me about EJ.” 

It was pouring rain outside. The sky was dominated by greys and silvers, and droplets were trickling down the windows, crossing paths with other droplets before forming small puddles on the window sill. Nini couldn’t help but feel weighed down by it — Gina had returned to glares as form of greeting in the corridors, and she’d officially resigned herself to the fact that whatever happened between them yesterday night had ruined any chance they previously had at friendship. 

“—So now EJ Caswell and I are civil, which is _so_ weird now that I’m saying it out loud. But it’s a thing. So I guess I get where you’re coming from with Gina.” 

Nini let out a laugh that sounded bitter even to her own ears. “Gina and I aren’t civil anymore...I think, anyway. But I’m happy for you and EJ! It’s good he apologised.“ 

Ricky seemed taken aback by that, adopting a puzzled frown. “Did something happen? I mean, I know you two weren’t technically friends but—“

“Nothing happened,” said Nini, with far more force than intended. “We just realised it was weird. That’s all.” 

He tipped his head to the side at that, gently taking Nini’s hands in his own. “Nini, you’ve been acting off all day. Are you sure there’s nothing going on?” 

Nini pressed her lips together, pulling her hands away and shoving them in her pockets. 

“I’m fine.” 

Hurt flashed across Ricky’s face, and Nini was instantly hit with regret. She felt numb and overwhelmed all at once, like her mind was trying to process the big ball of mixed feelings inside of her but couldn’t quite cope. She liked girls. She didn’t like girls, it was just in her head. She liked Gina. She didn’t like Gina, she’d just succumb to one moment of tension between them. Nothing seemed _certain_ , and that was possibly the one thing Nini hated the most; uncertainty. Uncertain whether she was good enough for the musical, or for the lead, or to even pursue any kind of performing arts career. Uncertain whether her friends thought she good enough, or if they were just telling her what she wanted to hear. Uncertain whether Gina hated her again now. 

She heard a voice pipe up from behind her, like this particular one always seemed to do. 

“All black today, Roberts. Mourning something?” 

Nini glanced down at her outfit. She’d ditched the fluffy pink jacket in between second and third period. 

“Yeah, actually. My pink gel pen. It ran out of ink this morning.” 

She wasn’t sure if the smile that briefly ghosted over Gina’s lips was real, or if she was only seeing what she wanted to see. 

Gina passed by their table, her usual group of friends in tow. Ricky remained silent, offering nothing more than a slight nod towards EJ. 

“Break a leg during rehearsals, lovebirds. And tune that string on your guitar, Bowen.” 

Ricky let out a quiet gasp. “So it _was_ obvious.” 

“Painfully so! Good thing your voice isn’t completely terrible.” 

No one seemed to question how exactly Gina could’ve known that. Nini supposed that was for the best. 

She bit her lip, purposely avoiding Ricky's gaze as she watched Gina look back over her shoulder, just for a moment, before continuing on her way. 

It was naive to think they could ever be more than just fickle friends. 

~ 

Gina came up to her after rehearsals on Thursday. Nini wasn’t sure what exactly made her do it — maybe it was that her feelings were all mixed up, and she was confused as to why Gina was trying to be nice all of a sudden. Whatever it was, with rain beginning to fall and howling wind whipping her hair about, she snapped. 

“Why are you doing this? Like, _really_ , why are you doing this? I know you’re scared about what happened but...so am I! Now it’s like we’re back to how we were...but we’re also not, and I just—I’m confused! If you don’t wanna be friends you have to tell me.” 

Gina, for the first time, didn’t have the words to respond. There was no one leaving the school buildings anymore, it was just them, stood in the middle of the footpath, rain falling more rapidly by the second. 

“Please? I just need to know.” 

Gina opened her mouth to reply, before closing it again, conflict written all over her face. Nini had the distant thought that she looked beautiful, even now, and then she let out a small, bitter laugh because she was _oh, so_ screwed.

“I’m just...gonna go, I’m sorry,” Gina stammered, tugging at her jacket as she left for the school building. 

Nini turned, arms folded tightly over her chest, just in time to catch Gina look back at her.

She laughed again, because it was the only thing keeping her from falling apart. 

She liked Gina Porter.

~ 

A week passed. They’d both gone from the occasional remark to simply ignoring one another in the corridors, eyes trained unwaveringly forward each time they crossed paths. 

The sky was clear Thursday night, a big canvas of black, scattered by stars, with the occasional cloud drifting peacefully across it. Moonlight seeped in through the cracks of her bedroom blinds, falling onto her bed cover in narrow strips. 

On free nights Nini would usually gravitate towards her ukelele, but this particular night found her sprawled across her bed, staring up at the ceiling. She tossed her pink gel pen into the air before catching it again, setting it down beside her. It could’ve easily been thrown away by now, but Kourtney had given her the whole set as a gift on her birthday, and she’d never been good at giving up things with even the slightest amount of sentimental value. 

The darkness obscured it from view, but Gina’s drawing of her was still hung up on her polaroid wall. Kourtney had noticed it the last time she was over, and Nini had thought up a lie about some friends she met at theatre camp. 

An urge to scrunch the note up and throw it away had come over her after their talk last Thursday, but ultimately, she kept it hanging there. That note had been the thing to _really_ convince Nini that Gina saw her more than just some random person she talked to at school every day. 

Her phone lit up with a text from an unknown number, and Nini would’ve disregarded it if it weren’t for what it said.

**_Nini, it’s Gina. I may or may not be outside right now. Come meet me?_ **

She sat back for a moment, letting out a small huff of disbelief. Then, she read over it again, just to make sure. 

_Oh my god._

Nini sprung up from her bed without hesitation, rushing downstairs through the dark and fumbling around for the keys. Finally, she unlocked the front door and swung it open, allowing warm light to pour out onto the porch. She didn’t have time to process her nerves until she was face to face with Gina, but as the seconds passed, she began to realise just how much adrenaline had flooded her system. Her hands were shaking, and it must’ve been obvious because a look of concern crossed Gina’s face. 

“Are you okay?” 

“Yeah! I am. How’d you, um, get my address?” she gestured towards her house, mostly to cover up the shaking. 

“Ricky gave me your address,” said Gina, and Nini let out a quiet laugh. 

“I hate him.” 

There was a pause after that. Nini averted her gaze towards the ground. “So uh...why are you here?” 

“Well, I was going to do this tomorrow but I had this epic speech planned and I wanted to do it tonight. On the way over I kind of realised I didn’t want to do it rehearsed, so now I’m _totally_ out of my depth, I have no idea why I decided that.” 

Nini smiled despite herself. She grabbed a coat from the coat-rack before stepping outside and closing the door behind her with a gentle thud.

“I don’t wanna wake up my moms,” she explained, to which Gina gave a nod. 

They weren’t anywhere near a main road like last time, and there was nothing to fill the silence apart from the chirping of crickets. Nini went to say something, but Gina beat her to it.

“I want us to be friends. And I’m not just saying that — you’ve probably realised it by now but I don’t like to just say things. When I’m with you, I...forget that I’m even hanging out with someone. If that makes sense. It just feels natural and it’s been a while since I’ve felt that hanging out with that anyone.”

A smile broke out on Nini’s face, one that she was sure resembled more of a beam. 

Gina wanted them to be friends, and that was far more than nothing. She could find a way to live with far more than nothing.

“You’ve probably also realised I’m sort of obsessed with being perfect. Which...is why I freaked out after um, that night. My mom doesn’t just want me to the best in school, she wants me to be perfect in general. And I thought something like that might would...” she trailed off, but Nini understood.

“I’m sorry for snapping at you. Sometimes I guess I forget how lucky I am to have moms who support that kind of thing.”

Gina smiled, but it seemed pained more than anything, fading immediately as though it was an effort to maintain. 

“So...are we good?” 

Nini nodded. “We’re good.” 

“Yay! That means I can give you this.” 

Gina pulled what seemed to be a light pink pouch of sorts from her pocket, handing it over to Nini. 

“It’s for your gel pens. I saw Ricky trying to help you close your pencil case last week, so I thought I’d try make something. It’s a little rough around the edges, but—“

“It’s adorable! I can’t believe you know how to draw _and_ knit.” 

Gina laughed. “YouTube is pretty much my best friend at this point.” 

“Maybe I need to make it mine too,” said Nini, as she examined the pouch. 

Her excited smile faded to something softer when she looked up, meeting Gina’s gaze. “Thank you.” 

Gina shoved her hands in her pockets, returning the smile. “No problem.” 

~ 

Friday morning found Nini headed towards her locker at about 7 am, collecting homework to do sporadically during Carlos’ dance practice with the team. The corridors were deserted, and pale sunlight was already flooding in through the windows. There was something peaceful about the sight. 

It was as she was rummaging through her locker that she heard rapid, echoing footsteps approach the corner and round it. She peered out from behind her locker door, tension melting away completely when she saw a rather frazzled-looking Gina approaching. 

“Nini! Hi.” 

Nini gave her a confused smile, stepping away from her locker. “Hi. You look out of breath.” 

“I wanted to get here early,” she explained, “I have to tell you something.” 

A small spark of hope lit up inside Nini’s chest. She glanced both ways down the corridors, folding her arms over her chest.

“What is it?” 

Gina hesitated for a moment. “Just that...just that there’s an extra pocket on that pouch for erasers. Did you see it?” 

It took everything within Nini not to let her expression fall. She nodded, offering Gina a tight-lipped smile.

“I saw it! It was cute, I like the purple.” 

“Cool! Cool.” 

Gina shoved her hands in her pockets. “Well, I’ll see you in there.” 

Nini returned to her locker, resuming her quest to find a specific math worksheet she desperately had to complete. After a few moments however, Gina’s footsteps came to an abrupt stop, and she looked over in alarm.

Gina turned around, jogging back over to Nini. 

“Wait, um, that wasn’t it. There’s something else.” 

Nini nodded slowly, gesturing for her to continue. Gina took in a deep breath before doing so. 

“I don’t wanna be just friends. I like you a lot. Like way, _way_ too much.” 

Nini dropped the books she’d been holding in her locker, facing Gina with a fond smile. 

“I don’t wanna just be friends either.” 

Gina visibly relaxed at that, a smile brighter than the sun outside spreading across her face. Some hair fell in front of her face, and she brushed it away with a small laugh, which Nini came to the conclusion right then and there was her favourite sound in the world. 

“Does that make us girlfriends?” asked Nini, as she grabbed everything she needed from her locker and closed it. 

Gina fell in step with her as they headed towards the hall, most definitely late for the dance practice. 

“I think it does. But...we can take it slow. Right?

“Of course! And while we’re on the subject...you like me way, _way_ too much? Care to elaborate?” 

“Absolutely not.”

“Oh come on, I’m not secretly filming or anything! Your non-ice-queen-ness is safe with me.” 

“Well, that one hundred percent makes me think you’re filming,” said Gina, to which Nini laughed.

“The fake girl and the princess...walking down a corrdior...flirting...” 

“We’re flirting?” 

“Um, we’re _so_ flirting,” said Nini, bringing a hand up to her chest in faux offence. 

The smile Gina had been fighting back appeared across her face, and Nini started to smile too. 

They were definitely flirting. 

~ 

“And _that_ , my friends, is how Ashlyn Caswell asked me out on a rollerskating date.” 

Nini exchanged a glance with Ricky, then with Big Red, before returning her gaze to Kourtney. 

“Okay. So where does the problem come in? That’s great, Kourt!” 

“The _problem_ , is that I lied about being able to rollerskate. I have no idea how to rollerskate! I’m probably like an uncoordinated baby giraffe on rollerskates, but I wouldn’t even know that, because I’ve never roller-skated!”

Nini gave a solemn nod, placing a gentle hand on her friend’s shoulder. “Okay. I’m starting to see the problem now.” 

“Surely rollerskating isn’t that different from skating. Maybe Big Red and I could give it a go? And then teach you?” 

“Before Saturday?” 

“...Yes?” 

Kourtney let out a dramatic groan at that. “What do I do?” 

“Well, if I were you giving me advice, I’d say: admit to Ashlyn that you were just trying to impress her and hope she finds it endearing?” Nini suggested, with a slight wince. 

“I agree,” Ricky piped up, “don’t base your first date on a lie! I lied to Nini about loving roller coasters on our first date, then I threw up on her shoes. Then we broke up a week later. There’s your cautionary tale for the day, guys.” 

Kourtney let out a sigh. “Looks like I’m admitting to being a fake. I didn’t think I’d ever be saying that.”

Nini gave her shoulder another sympathetic pat as she took a bite of her sandwich, eyes darting between cafeteria tables almost automatically in an attempt to find Gina amongst the crowds.

When she couldn’t find Gina, her gaze returned to Ricky and Big red, who seemed to be sitting a little closer than they did normally. Ricky gave Red the faintest of smiles, and Red returned it. When Ricky purposefully began to compare the size of their hands, Nini averted her gaze, feeling again as though she was intruding on some sort of private moment. They’d tell her if something was going on between them in their own time; for the time being, she’d act as though she was totally oblivious to all of the lingering looks. 

Gina was waiting outside of a classroom when Nini saw her next, right opposite her locker. She was gazing off into the distance, caught up in her own thoughts as she fidgeted with her hands. Nini threw a glance towards her friends, before approaching with caution.

“Gina? Is everything okay?” 

“Yes! I mean—not really, I kind of have a test now.” 

“Hey,” said Nini, voice soft, “you’ll be fine, okay? Just...take a few deep breathes and clear your head. Then answer everything you can.” 

Gina took a few deep inhales and exhales, before giving a small, determined nod.

“Okay. I can do this.” 

“You can!”

She lingered there a moment longer, before flashing Nini a smile. 

“I’ll see you on the flip side.” 

When Nini returned to her locker, it was to three identical-looking stares. 

“What?” she demanded. 

Ricky gave her a look as if so say _‘really?’,_ whilst Kourtney got straight to the point.

“You and Gina?” 

“Yes. No. Maybe. What are you implying?” she asked, turning towards her locker. 

When Nini closed her locker, she was faced yet again by three pairs of curious eyes. She let out a dramatic sigh, hugging her books to her chest. 

“Okay. We’re a thing.” 

“I knew it!” exclaimed Ricky, which garnered him a range of alarmed stares. 

Kourtney wrapped her up in a tight hug, which quickly became a group hug that earned them even more bewildered stares. 

“Are you happy?” asked Kourtney. 

Nini looked towards the window of the opposite classroom, where Gina was pouring over her test. When she noticed Nini looking, she gave her an excited wave.

“Yeah. I am.” 

“Good,” said Ricky, “you deserve to be happy.” 

The crazy thing was — Nini was finally beginning to believe that.

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos/comments are appreciated as always if you liked the oneshot!
> 
> You can find me on twitter @/pcrterfilms


End file.
